All Rise...

Bet you didn't know Judge Patrick Naugle was a Nazi Zombie Hunter, did you?

The Charge

Head's up. They're back.

The Case

The sole survivor of a Nazi zombie onslaught, Martin (Vegar Hoel, Dead Snow) finds himself once again batting the forces of the undead when a battalion of reanimated Nazi soldiers continue their rampage through the countryside. Martin enlists the help of a trio of American zombie hunters—Adventureland's Martin Starr, 5 to 7's Jocelyn DeBoer, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World's Ingrid Haas—who fly in just in time to help Martin—whose right arm was severed and replaced with the zombie captain's arm—revive an army of undead Germans to help him do battle with the Third Reich from hell!

There are very few silver linings to the existence of the Nazi party. Adolph Hitler and his crew of pure evil were responsible for heinous crimes against humanity, the extermination of millions of Jews, and became a large black mark on an entire country of people. The only good thing that came out of their existence is that they are now the most durable of movie villains, used frequently as the incarnation of all that is truly unholy and vile. From Raiders of the Lost Ark to Marathon Man, the Nazi party has been truly indispensable onscreen as a hero's foil.

Forgive my trespasses, as I've never seen the original Dead Snow. Not that it matters much. Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead starts off with a recap of the first film, which goes something like this: teenagers party in a cabin in the woods, find some hidden Nazi gold, which brings rotting Nazi zombies back to life, zombies maim/dismember/disembowel everyone, the gold is returned, and the sole survivor goes free. I felt pretty solid in my understand of what had come before. Within only the first five minutes it's clear what Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead greatest influence is: Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series. From one character getting bitten and lopping off his arm with a chainsaw to blood-splattered gore and delivery (the protagonist even sounds a bit like Bruce Campbell), I was immediately aware of what kind of movie this was going to be. In fact, Dead Snow 2 pays so much homage to Raimi's trilogy that it almost should be paying him royalties. Not that I'm complaining. This is an absolute hoot from beginning to end; a macabre, hilarious Grand Guignol slab of horror comedy that'll make you guffaw as much as it'll make you barf. I mean that in the best way possible.

Dead Snow 2 is the kind of movie that doesn't really require a lot of intricate storytelling or characterization to be successful. The actors all seem to know exactly what kind of material this is, and adjust accordingly; they run, they scream, they offer up terrified looks, and they hack and slash their way through seemingly hundreds of corpses. While this sounds gruesome—and it is—it's also a lot of fun. Dead Snow 2 has a wonderfully oddball sense of humor. One of the film's best running gags is a zombie that the hero Martin (a comedic but deadly serious Vegar Hoel) brings back to life who is sort of like his personal pet monkey; a "good" zombie, as it were. This particular undead chap ends being used for a litany of terrible but practical uses, and still he comes back like a loyal puppy dog just wanting to be loved by his master. It's a masterstroke of comedy that is well worth the admission price alone.

In the grand tradition of films like Peter Jackson's Dead Alive or Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator, Dead Snow 2 throws just about everything at the screen (and in one scene, quite literally, even the kitchen sink). How characters dispatch of the zombies is often over-the-top and endlessly entertaining; in one scene a corpses's intestines are unraveled, thrown up over a power line, and the zombie is electrified in the most satisfying of ways. The filmmakers seem to be having a ball coming up with new and unusual ways of taking out the dead (and sometimes the living). The final moments of Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead need to be seen to be believed (all I'll say is that it's the most romantic scene you'll ever see featuring reanimated corpse).

Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead was written and directed by Tommy Wirkola, who previously helmed the better-than-you'd-think big budget action-horror hybrid Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. This is a horror movie, but it's also so much more. There are decapitations, severed arms, unraveling intestines, and other forms of grizzled gore, all wrapped around a ridiculous premise and witty sight gags that work against all odds. If the words "nazi zombie comedy" speak to you, this'll be right up your alley.

Well Go USA's Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (Blu-ray) is presented in 2.35:1/1080p HD widescreen, which is not surprisingly in great shape. The film is often bathed in darkness and the black levels are solid and well defined. Colors are often muted but that's due to artistic choices by the filmmakers. The print is clear of any imperfections and should please fans. The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track is an often aggressive sound mix.

Bonus features include a commentary from writer/director Tommy Wirkola, a short film ("Armen"), a featurette on the visual effects, a "Dead Snow" comic book, and a trailer for the film.

Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead is a movie that will appeal to a certain group of viewers. You know who you are, if you've read this far. Recommended for those who like their comedy with side of kidneys.

The Verdict

A bloody delight.

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